Bhopal, Dec 30 (PTI) Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of the BJP on Tuesday took a swipe at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over a proposed Mahakal temple in her state, saying some people make such plans and recite religious texts only when elections approach.
However, these same people maintain stoic silence when religious institutions are attacked, he said without elaborating.
Talking to reporters at his residence in Bhopal, Chouhan noted temples and religious rituals are matters of faith, but some Opposition parties use religion solely for electoral gains.
On Monday, Banerjee declared at a programme in Kolkata that the foundation stone of a Mahakal temple would be laid in Siliguri in north Bengal in the second week of January and that land has been identified and funds arranged for the project.
Asked about the West Bengal CM’s announcement, Chouhan stated, “When elections are round the corner, only then temples are remembered by some people. I believe temples or other religious activities are matters of faith.”
“When these religious institutions are attacked, such people remain silent. But as elections approach, many start wearing ‘tripund’ (sacred mark), begin reciting the Hanuman Chalisa and remember the Durga Saptashati. I think people know this truth,” the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader asserted.